Hate speech cases at behest of vote-greedy people: Togadia

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Praveen Togadia on Friday, alleged that hate speech cases lodged against him in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra were an attempt by “vote-greedy political people” to engage him in legal tangles.

“There are concerted political efforts to fix me in malicious cases and, thereby, distract the nation from the core issue construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya,” Mr. Togadia said in a statement.

The comments of Mr. Togadia, who is taking part in the Maha Kumbh Mela, came a day after an FIR was lodged against him in Nanded district of Maharashtra, barely a few weeks after similar cases were lodged against him in Andhra Pradesh.

The VHP international working president said the case lodged against him was a measure to ensure “there is no effort by me or anyone else in the country to make Hindus of the country aware of the injustice they have been facing at the hands of the vote-greedy people“.

Without naming Congress or UPA, Togadia said, “Those who do not wish Hindus to progress have filed such cases against me with a specific design to fix me at a place and get me hassled in legal tangles exactly before elections to be held in many states and, later on, for the Centre.”